Kenneth Waller
http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/kennethwaller
----- Original Message -----
From: "Larry Colen" <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: finding pictures or making pictures?
On Jan 31, 2011, at 1:44 PM, Larry Colen wrote:
While waiting for my backdrop to dry at the laundromat, I had fifteen
minutes to kill, so I went for a short photo walk. On my way back, I
realized that the fast majority of my photography is mostly "finding
photos" rather than "making photos" where I set out with a particular
idea planned out.
I'm curious how often the people on this list work from even a rough
plan, versus just going out and seeing what they find.
The replies to this question were interesting, and enlightening. My
father used to say that if buildings were built the way programs were
written, the first termite that came along would destroy civilization.
Judging by this list, photographers make programmers look like the very
paragon of forethought. I wonder how many other artists start out their
works with so little planning. Do painters think "I just got this tube of
really pretty green, I think I'll paint a forest"?
I suspect that the answers to this question are very different among
professional photographers. Especially since several people said that they
went into professional projects with a lot more pre-planning than they do
photos that they do for fun. Is the thrill of the hunt, and the joy of
discovery that much more fun than the whole process of conceptualization,
planning and implementation? Or is it just a lot less work? Or easier to
do when you have a few free minutes?
It's also interesting to me because in so many other of my pursuits, my
ideas and inspirations for projects are orders of magnitude more prolific
than my time to actually implement them. Yet, with a camera, I can go for
a walk, see something that inspires me, and in a few moments compose and
take a photo. Though in those few moments between inspiration and press of
the shutter, I guess I do go through the process of visualization,
planning and implementation, and with digital the process of successive
approximation taking as many shots as necessary until I get the one that I
want. I suspect that it would do my photographic skill a world of good to
practice visualizing, planning and setting up photos before I even grab my
camera, rather than my usual process of just going out in hopes of finding
something worth photographing.
I will definitely have to think more about the difference between making
photos and taking photos.
More like taking a photo and making an image.
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